Iruttu Araiyil Murattu Kuthu is a 2018 Indian Tamil language comedy horror film written and directed by Santhosh P. Jayakumar and produced by K. E. Gnanavel Raja.

Initial release: May 4, 2018 Director: Santhosh P. Jayakumar Music by: Balamurali Balu Producer: K. E. Gnanavel Raja Editor: Prasanna G.K Critic’s Rating: 3/5 Synopsis: A sexually-starved spirit traps two couples in a bungalow in Bangkok where they have planned to stay for a week. The spirit wants one of the two men to have sex with her. Can they manage to escape?

Review: Right from the day it went on floors, Iruttu Araiyil Murattu Kuthu (IAMK) was promoted as an adult horror flick. Director Santhosh P Jayakumar was clear about his target viewers, and has unabashedly made this film for them. The film stays true to its genre to a good extent though the plot could have been worked out in a better way.

Veera (Gautam Karthik), a playboy, and his friend, Vasu (Shah Ra), manage to take their girlfriends, Thendral (Vaibhavi Shandilya) and Kavya (Yashika Anand), to Thailand for a dating trip for a week. The couples rent a posh beachside bungalow to stay there and start exploring the city. Both Veera and Vasu are hopeful of having sex with their girlfriends and make frequent attempts for the same. The duo gets the shock of its life when it realises the existence of an evil spirit in the home. Things get worse when the guys understand that they can’t escape from the bungalow. The sexually-starved spirit threatens that either Veera or Vasu should have sex with it, without which it’d be difficult for them to escape from the house. They seek the help of a priest and nun, played by Rajendran and Balasaravanan respectively.

The entry of Girish Kalyan (Karunakaran), an unapologetic homosexual, a cook (Madhumitha) and a tantrik (John Vijay) into the house makes things interesting. Will the tantrik be able to control the spirit?

The film is filled with ample double entendres and skin show by the three heroines — Vaibhavi, Yashika and Chandrika. At several instances, we begin to wonder if there was a competition among them as to who looked good in skimpy outfits. Nevertheless, it works with the targeted audience as they provide the required oomph factor.

Gautham Karthik lives up to the character of a playboy, while Shah Ra’s comic timing works to a good extent. A few sequences involving Karunakaran, Rajendran, John Vijay and Balasaravanan, too, keep the viewers engaged. The constant reference to the reality show Bigg Boss also keeps the audience in splits in some occasions.

Having said this, the horror angle falls flat and does not create much impact. A comparatively weak second half, in terms of writing, is saved mainly by the lively performances of the artistes. Things become quite predictable as the story moves further. The songs are patience-testing speed breakers and do not leave any impact. A much better screenplay in the second half could have worked wonders.